Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown have hauled the private operator of Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Processing Center into federal court, asking a judge to force the company to let state health inspectors inside. State officials say they turned to litigation after repeated refusals to allow inspections and thousands of complaints from detainees about food, medical care and religious accommodations. The lawsuit landed shortly after a midday press event outside the detention center where officials argued that the court now has to step in to enforce Washington law.
According to the Washington Attorney General’s Office, the complaint asks a judge to order The GEO Group to admit inspectors from the state Department of Health so they can investigate more than 3,500 complaints lodged by people held at the Tacoma facility. The AG’s office says Department of Health teams have been turned away 10 times, most recently in late April. “GEO Group is not above the law: they must allow health inspectors to inspect the Tacoma facility,” Attorney General Nick Brown said in the release.
Court Fight Over State Inspection Powers
Washington’s authority to inspect private detention centers comes from HB 1470, a 2023 law that gave the Department of Health power to conduct unannounced inspections. That statute has already been tested in federal court. As explained by Axios, parts of the law were blocked and then effectively restored by appeals court decisions last year and this spring, creating the opening for DOH to again seek entry. Lawmakers have also proposed additional fines and taxes this year aimed at operators that resist oversight.
Detainees’ Complaints And Emergency Calls
People held inside the Tacoma facility and advocates on the outside have raised alarms over food quality, access to timely medical care and a lack of religious accommodations. That includes reports that Muslim detainees received non‑halal meals and had fasting schedules disrupted during Ramadan. As reported by KING 5, 911 calls obtained by the outlet describe medical emergencies inside the facility, including seizures, chest pain and mental‑health crises. The activist group La Resistencia says it has documented more than 2,000 complaints from people in detention, according to reporting in The News Tribune.
What The State Wants From The Judge
The lawsuit asks a federal judge to order GEO Group to provide DOH inspectors access to the Tacoma detention center and to authorize an investigation into reported conditions, including a review of medical care and food service operations. The state is also seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the company from refusing inspections while the case moves forward, according to the AG’s filing. If granted, the order would clear the way for unannounced, on‑site inspections to determine whether the facility meets Washington’s health and safety standards.
Local Pressure And Next Steps
Religious leaders and immigrant‑rights groups stood alongside state officials at the press event, calling inspections long overdue and demanding accountability, local outlets reported. As reported by the Washington State Standard, lawmakers have floated bills that would allow DOH to impose daily fines on operators that refuse inspections. The case now heads into the federal court system, where judges will decide whether to force GEO Group to comply or let the dispute continue through extended litigation.
Long‑Running Battle Over Oversight
The GEO Group operates the 1,575‑bed Northwest facility under contract with ICE and has faced multiple legal challenges in Washington, including past state lawsuits over detainee labor and conditions. Local reporting has followed contract renewals and continued scrutiny from researchers and lawmakers, including recent coverage in The News Tribune. The latest lawsuit marks another chapter in a long‑running dispute over whether state regulators can enforce health and safety rules at a detention center that operates under a federal contract.
